


Stubborn

by Impala_Cherry_Trickster



Series: Merlin Prompts [41]
Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Canon Era, Cuddling & Snuggling, Everyone Loves Merlin (Merlin), Fluff, M/M, Merlin is a Little Shit, Pining Gwaine (Merlin), Protective Knights (Merlin), Sharing Body Heat
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-14
Updated: 2020-07-14
Packaged: 2021-03-05 04:34:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 791
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25258543
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Impala_Cherry_Trickster/pseuds/Impala_Cherry_Trickster
Summary: Merlin's stubborn, but if the Knights don't do something, he'll freeze
Relationships: Gwaine/Merlin (Merlin)
Series: Merlin Prompts [41]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1706692
Comments: 24
Kudos: 541





	Stubborn

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt for Lü, hope you enjoy!

They all knew it, but none were brave enough to risk upsetting Merlin. The weather was foul, wind that rushed through the trees and banished the fire whenever they tried to light it, a frost that was growing heavier with every moment. For the Knights of Camelot, this was not an issue. They learned to huddle for warmth, of using their armour and wrapping layers under chainmail, to keep themselves warm by filling their stomach with food.

Merlin, as they could all clearly see, was stick-thin. There was barely anything to him, the one time Percival had dared to reach out for Merlin his hand had wrapped the _entire_ way around his arm. The manservant wore nothing more than his usual jacket, threadbare trousers and boots that could not be doing much to prevent him from frostbite.

After the fourth attempt at lighting the fire, Merlin slumped back and drew his knees up to his chest, fingers already turning blue.

Each of the Knights wanted to go to him, to wrap him up and keep him warm like he deserved. Even Arthur would have done so, despite how he pretended that Merlin was not like the little brother he had never wanted.

Gwaine was the one fighting the hardest. To him, Merlin was something slightly more than just a friend. Merlin was the one that inspired his loyalty, that he’d lay down his life for in an instant. The one that he pined for, from a distance, never daring to make the first move.

Merlin’s teeth were chattering. The Knights looked amongst themselves, each of them knowing the risk of pointing out how cold Merlin was. The manservant hated being seen as weak, refused their help even when it was obvious that he needed it.

‘Merlin…’ It was Lancelot, in the end, that could not bear it a moment longer. He had known Merlin for a long time, knew that the Sorcerer was hiding a gift that could warm him up just because he feared how Arthur would react.

‘Y-yes?’ Merlin stumbled, lips pale and his body shaking slightly. Lancelot shifted across the mat he was lying on, pulled back the blanket.

‘Come here.’ For a moment, Merlin did look ready to argue. But then the cold won over, and the group watched as he staggered across the clearing to Lancelot’s side. He still kept a distance, until Lancelot wrapped an arm around him and tugged Merlin until they were pressed together.

‘Percival.’ Lancelot hinted, the largest of the Knights moving to press against Merlin’s back. The youngest looked ready to complain, before the other Knights were moving close, all of them huddling together.

‘Shh, just let us warm you up.’ Lancelot stated when Merin tried to protest, pulling the blanket up over the both of them.

From there, it was easy to rotate. Whenever the people on either end got cold, they would move into the middle and take a turn at sandwiching Merlin’s tiny frame. After the second time they swapped, Merlin stopped complaining. In fact, he even made an effort to move closer, snuggling in to whoever he could.

‘Limpet.’ Arthur muttered, when it happened to be him that Merlin moved closer to. Gwaine glared at the Princess over his shoulder, about to point out that it was hard enough to get Merlin to accept help, without him making fun of Merlin for it.

Instead of abandoning the giant pile of Knights, Merlin simply released his hold on Arthur and rolled to Gwaine, tucking up against him instead. The Knight decided that he was quite alright with this idea, let Merlin’s legs come to settle between his and let his head drop until it rested under Merlin’s chin.

They stayed like that for most of the night, nobody daring to part the two of them as the others kept rotating.

When morning came, and the wind had died down enough for Merlin to light a fire (or at least use the excuse that it had died down, he actually used Magic), the manservant was back to being stubbornly adamant that he did not need their assistance. He collected firewood, made them breakfast and served out the portions of food, while the Knights wondered if they’d make it back to Camelot without Merlin freezing.

But then Gwaine was reaching out for him, Merlin halting and looking down with a confused expression. The Knight stripped off his gloves, handing them to the younger man, before his cape quickly joined.

They were all surprised when Merlin did not complain, and even allowed Gwaine to ride back with him on the same horse, pressed close to keep warm.

Surprised, but pleased that there was somebody to keep an eye on their friend.

**Author's Note:**

> Bit random, but do any of you have any smutty prompts that you want to see? I'm in the mood to write, just not sure what


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